July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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Have you ever visited Smithers and wondered what we’re up to with our many different statues? Or maybe you’ve heard about our over grown alpenhorn man, or our ‘phantom grizzly bear’? Well even after 17 years of living in the area I myself still had questions about our crazy mascots; so last night I decided I’d take the time to find out what they we’re all about.
First off I stopped by the Smithers Regional Airport to check out our legendary ‘phantom grizzly’ this enormous bear (weighing in at 1020lbs (460kg) was accused guilty of killing upwards of 30 heads of cattle in the Bulkley Valley, Some of this cattle weighed as much as 1500lbs (682 kg). Our bear was no ordinary bear; he was the bear version of Houdini, despite the conservation officer’s best efforts our grizzly escaped from multiple snares and traps. He was finally captured by Conservation Officers in the fall of 2001 and is now the first thing you see as you slept into the Smithers Airport.
After the airport I came back to town and took a stroll around town to check out some of our other attractions. First off I dropped by and said a hello to Alpine Al; our lovely mascot waiting to great you on Main Street. How we finally landed on an alpine man? Well we have Alderman Andy Stalker to thank for that one. In 1972 suggested that a theme was introduced to the town, As Bavarian and other European themes were popular the alpine theme was an ideal choice. And how on earth did we come across a 7foot high statue with a 10 foot long horn you may ask?? It was started with a hotel in Christina Lake burning down; fortunately for Smithers our beloved Alpine Al stood strong and hung in there (it helped that he was in the middle of a fountain). So Andy and his son Glen travelled to Christina Lake to pick bring Al home. We are proud to announce that Alpine Al is a very happy man in his new home on Main Street!
We also got to see many more; including, a goat, a pack horse, a fisherman, and even a woman laying some rail road! I fully encourage everyone to check out at least a few of these spectacular monuments and there fabulous stories!!
July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Terrace, Festivals & Events
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2 months ago on fathers day (better late then never) my dad and I took a drive up to terrace for the weekend to check out what was new and much to our surpise we came across the Terrace Drag Race Association (TDRA) Fathers Day drag race and car show! Even the sun came out just in time to enjoy a great day of racing!
There were so many amazing cars, trucks, bikes and even sleds racing through out the weekend, i had a few personal favorites such as an amazing red Harley Davidson Shovelhead!! This bike isnt one you would be able to see on the street, its all about racing! Which is why my friends, family and I are heading up to Terrace for this long weekend aswell for TDRA's "Hot August Nights" racing on Sunday July 31st and Monday August 1st, and were planning on going down to check out the year end races on Saturday August 27th and Sunday August 28th as well! We're hooked now, and I cant wait to feast my eyes on the zippy little red bike again!
If you wanted to learn more about the Terrace Drag Races check out their website (its become one of my favorite sites) their site comes complete with schedules, photos, points, and much more!
July 29, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Historic & Heritage Sites
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Ever taken the time to check out the Moricetown Canyon? or stop and learn about the history behind this small town nestled in between Smithers & Hazelton? If you haven't I strongly recommend it!
A few friends and I took a drive out to this spectacular down a couple nights ago to see some of the great sites in our area. First of all we stopped off at The Little Frog Cafe & Bistro for a light snack before our evening of history and great scenery.
After that we took a walk over to "Idiot Rock" to take a look at how the fishing is doing this year; however, we haven't gotten the chance to get our fishing permits so we couldn't do any fishing of our own.
Once we were done admiring the view from the rock we crossed the road again and walked over to check out the famous Moricetown Canyon. The canyon is where all the water from the Bulkley River must pass through a 1/4 mile wide opening which makes beautiful white cascading falls.
While we were at the canyon we ran into a local man who told us a little bit about the history of Moricetown and its peoples history; we learned such things as Moricetown is known as Kyah Wiget, and was built on the Moricetown Canyon aroud 4000 years ago! We also learned that the Moricetown Canyon is a territorial fishing ground held by 5 clans of the Kyah Wiget people.
We learned so much more about the native history in the area, if you're interested in more information i highly recommend heading to Moricetown on your next visit throught the Bulkley Valley! If you stop off at the Moricetown Interpretive Center located just off of highway 16 (turn at Telkwa Highroad, cross the bridge and just up the hill) they will be more then happy to fill you in on some more history of this fascinating area.
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, River Rafting
Last night my fellow information counsellor and I, along with some awesome ladies from the Aspen Inn here in Smithers, got the chance to go on a river rafting trip down the Bulkley River with Kevin and Luke from Main Current Rafting & Adventures.
The trip was about 4 hours long and we travelled all the way from the boat launch in Telkwa to Lunan road (just past the Smithers Exhibition Grounds). It was an amazing trip and we got to see so much scenery that even in the 17 years of living in the area I have never seen before.
Our guides Kevin and his adorable 6 year old son Luke were great tour guides and they were both very knowledgeable about the area, river, and wildlife (and in Luke's case even superheros!!) If you're at all concerned about safety you have nothing to worry about; Kevin is an instructor of water rescue courses in the Bulkley and they supply you with personal flotation devices and helmets to keep you safe. They also give a safety breach before you get on the boat. You wont have a problem at all, its a very relaxed ride.
We took a tour called the "sunset cruise" which consisted of some small rapids and a great time; however, they do have many other tours available to take a part of, such as the white water tour that brings you to rapids that get up to class 3! (To put that into perspective Moricetown Canyon is class 4 and Niagra Falls is class 6)
It was a great way to spend a warm summer evening in the Valley! Contact Kevin or the Smithers Info Center if you have any questions or inquires about any of these trips!!
Smithers Information Center: 250-847-5072
Main Current: 1-877-909-7238
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Culinary Tours & Schools
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I recently took a trip to Hazelton BC to check out 'Ksan, The Trails and everything else Hazelton has to offer; along my trails I found an amazing little cafe nestled in the heart of Old Town, Mercedes Beans is the name and great food, and service is there game.
Their menu is very original since you get to pick what you want and what you want in it, I personally went for the chicken quesadilla with cheese, red & green peppers and some tomatoes, along with this i had a bottle of their spectacular all natural soda!
This isn't just a cafe, its' a great little gift shop as well; they sell everything from apple crisp to home crafted soap all under one roof.
The experience was great and i cant wait to get back to Hazelton to try out some more of their awesome culture and food! Hope to see you there!
July 28, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Sightseeing Tours
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A few days ago myself and a few of my friends and family headed up the Telkwa Pass ATVing, The pass is an awesome ride (or drive) and you get to see such amazing scenery! You can reach all the way from Telkwa BC to Terrace BC on this outstanding trail; I've even heard stories about some of those intense outdoors people waking up for out of town work hours early and taking the pass instead of the highway! That's what i call dedication!
Along the way you get to see multiple lakes and streams; such as Top Lake, Mooseskin Johnny Lake, Sinclare Creek, Tom George Creek and many many others. As well as the water ways you get the chance to see wild life, have a camp fire at Top Lake, and as always on an ATVing trip you are promised to get dirty!
The highlight of the trip for me (aside from getting out in the valley with friends) was once we got to Top Lake we parked the ATVs for a while and had a camp fire complete with hot dogs and marshmallows. After we we're all full and ready to ride again we hoped back on the machines and had some good ol' fun in the water (rubber boots & rain pants are a personal recommendation).
The trip is awesome and we're already planning another trip in a few weeks, hope to see people up there! Happy riding!!
For more specific directions the trail is a very well known area in the Smithers & Telkwa area so feel free to stop and ask on your way through!
July 15, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
Bombs? ... Quite unlikely
Tsunami? ... Even more unlikely
Community gathering call to put out a fire? ... We’ve got a wonderful fire department to manage that for us
Have no fear we really don’t need to worry about any evacuations in the near or far future…
There are many different stories milling around about why Smithers has a noon hour siren; some people believe its because were getting attacked, others think it’s a calling for the community to gather; a few thinks its really because when it comes to lunch we mean serious business; however, the truth is actually much less adventurous, thrilling or threatening sounding.
Why we really have our ferocious sounding alarm is simple to make sure our evacuation alarm is in good working order. Plain and simple, it’s to protect the lovely people and the wonderful visitors of Smithers.
July 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Smithers, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
10 fun summer things to do in Smithers:
1. Twin Falls Recreation Site! This 20min walk is just 10km from Smithers and wont leave you disappointed
2. Scenic Main Street! Check out our main street lined with colorful flags, colorful shops and even more colorful people.
3. Driftwood Canyon! This short 300m walk leads you to a viewing platform from which you can see our famous Fossil Beds
4. The Perimeter Trail! This 12.5km walk around town will show you a glimpse of all that Smithers has to offer.
5. Fishing! Smithers is known for its fishing; come check out any one of our many great fishing destinations.
6. Scenic/Wildlife Drives! If your looking to see wildlife or even just to see some great scenery Smithers is the place to come; with our many back roads that are easily accessible with even anything between a motor home and a compact car you’ll have no problem seeing the sights
7. Water Sports! From white water rafting and wake boarding to kayaking and paddle boating we’ve got you covered; with many water sport rental and retail stores in Smithers we can assist you in what ever your water needs may be.
8. Babine Mountains! For the longer hikes we also have the Babine Mountains with trails ranging from 4km all the way to 13km. A guaranteed wild life destination.
9. Farmers Market! If you’re here on a Saturday and interested in locally grown food and even more locally grown stories this is your place to be, with live music and horse rides it’s never a dull moment.
10. Stick around and stay a while! We love having you and you’ll love being here!
For more information on what Smithers has to offer, come by the Smithers Information Center or give us a call at 250-847-5072. We’ll be happy to help you with any further questions you may have.
July 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Attractions
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Recently 2 of the staff members (myself included) from the Smithers Visitor Informations Center went on a FAM tour in the Hazelton Area. We did many things on our trip; just one of our adventures consisted of checking out the Hagwilget Bridge.
For those who dont know the area the Hagwilget Bridge is the bridge that connects Old Hazelton to New Hazelton, it was completed in 1931 making it one of the first to be designed by Alexander Carruthers. This fantastic bridge spans 460 feet and is 16 feet wide and is 262 feet above the Bulkley River. It is made with 1 million pounds of steel and cable and over 6 mikes of wire rope.
If you think driving over this structure sounds thrilling then walking over it will be the icing on the cake, and for even more adventure; walking below it! We got the honors for walking first across the bridge and then took at 15min hike to get a look at the lower view.
It was an amazing and very thrilling adventure and I strongly recommend it to whoever is in the area!! Even bring the fishing rod, the family and a lunch, you definitely wont run out of things to do or see anywhere around the area.
July 11, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Sightseeing Tours
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Last Wednesday me and my fellow Visitor Information Counceller from here in Smithers went on a FAM tour with the Hazelton & Terrace visitors centers to the historic town of Hazelton.
We took part in a spectacular walking tour of the historic town of Old Hazelton. Our tour guide was awesome and she definaly knew her stuff. On our tour we saw many different sights such as the war vetrines memorial sight, the home of the very first multi-cultural highschool in BC, the Old Paddle Boat. We even got luck enough to take a look in the museum/Library and the newly opened art gallery; which is located right inside of the Paddle Boat. We even got to check out the extra large Chesse & Checkers board painted right onto the basketball court, comes fully equipt with knee high rooks, pons, knights and the rest of the crew as well!
We found great things to see and do all over the place in Hazelton not to mention the weather was great and we all learned alot about the great history of the Hazelton Area; even got a bit of a tan doing it. Absolutly something everyone should take the time to check out!!!